The biggest lottery winners with the worst luck.

You can’t always buy happiness with money. In actuality, some lottery winners have gone through bankruptcy, divorce, incarceration, and even murder. Most people who win the lottery are average, everyday people, and according to statistics, one in every three Americans is financially literate.

And to give you an idea of spending habits, as of 2022, Americans owe over $800 billion in total in credit card debt. What do you expect to happen when you combine these behaviors and lack of knowledge with the average Joe’s striking luck and winning a large sum of cash?

Here are seven examples of the worst-case scenarios for winning the lottery.

Rhoda and Alex Toth blew $13 million and ended up in court for tax evasion.

In Florida in 1990, Alex and Rhoda Toth won the $13 million jackpot. They became penniless after 15 years. The Tampa Bay Times reported that the couple spent a lot of money traveling to Las Vegas for three months, staying in a $1,000 per night penthouse suite at the Mirage.

They purchased 10 acres of land back home. The IRS eventually charged the two with tax evasion after learning they had falsely reported gambling losses and filed for bankruptcy protection. They allegedly owed the IRS $2.5 million at the time of their indictment. Alex passed away before his case could be tried; Rhoda was imprisoned for two years.

Janite Lee couldn’t stop donating to charity and lost her $18 million in winnings.

Janite Lee lost her winnings within ten years after scooping a $18 million lottery jackpot in 1993. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Lee, a wig maker from South Korea, wasted her money on charity.

She was a significant Democratic Party donor, and the law school at Washington University named a reading room after her. However, it’s been said that she was destroyed by her generous nature, a little gambling, and a large credit card debt. In 2001, she declared bankruptcy.

Bud Post lost $16.2 million, and his brother put a contract on his head.

In 1988, William “Bud” Post won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery, but a year later, he owed $1 million. Post said, “I wish it never happened.” “It was a nightmare in every way.” His brother was detained for allegedly hiring a hitman to kill him in the hopes that he would inherit a share of the winnings after a former girlfriend successfully sued him for a third of his winnings.

After investing money in family businesses, Post went into debt and served prison for shooting a bill collector in the head. According to The Washington Post, he claimed, “I was much happier when I was broke.” Bud died in 2007, having lived quietly on $450 monthly on food stamps.

Billy Bob Harrell Jr. had his dreams come true when he won $31 million, but it ended up being the worst thing to ever happen to him.

When he won the $31 million Texas jackpot in 1997, a Pentecostal preacher who was a stock boy at Home Depot received the answer to his prayers. Life was good at first, with Billy Bob reportedly quitting his job, visiting Hawaii, and purchasing a ranch, six additional homes, and new vehicles. Time reported that he gave 480 turkeys to the underprivileged.

But like many lottery winners, he found it difficult to say no when requests for assistance came in. Another company that gave lottery winners lump sums in exchange for their yearly checks caused him financial trouble, but it gave him much less than he’d won.

According to news reports from the time, he eventually got divorced and committed suicide. He disclosed to a financial advisor shortly before he passed that “winning the lottery is the worst thing that ever happened to me.”

Lara and Roger Griffiths lost almost $3 million.

Lara and Roger Griffiths, of England, reportedly never quarreled before they won a $2.76 million lottery jackpot in 2005. Once they had won, they spent the money on a million-dollar home that had been converted from a barn, a Porsche, and opulent trips to Dubai, Monaco, and New York City.

According to media reports, their good fortune came to an end in 2010 when a freak fire destroyed their underinsured home and required them to pay for both repairs and seven months of temporary housing. Soon after, there were rumors that Roger left in the Porsche after Lara confronted him regarding emails that appeared to indicate he had feelings for another woman. Their 14-year marriage was ended by that.

Denise Rossi won the jackpot, kept it to herself, divorced her husband, and then blew the entire $1.3 million.

According to The Los Angeles Times, after winning $1.3 million in the California lottery, Denise Rossi kept the news to herself and unexpectedly and silently filed for divorce from her husband Thomas. Even though Thomas was shocked, he decided to divorce her.

Denise continued to conceal her good fortune throughout the proceedings. Thomas discovered the truth in a letter he received two years later at his new Los Angeles residence. The judge gave Thomas every penny after Denise was sued for failing to disclose the proceeds of her divorce settlement. Even

Denise’s attorney told People that if she had been honest with her former husband, Denise would have been able to keep half of her winnings. Her failure to disclose was fraudulent, the attorney claimed. Thomas Rossi, meanwhile, enjoyed his $48,000-a-year payouts.

Jack Whittaker lost $314 million and died broke.

The largest lottery jackpot in history, worth $314 million, was won by Jack Whittaker in 2002, taking home $114 million after taxes. The West Virginia construction worker, well-known for his enormous cowboy hats and even larger personality, continues to be one of the most extreme cautionary tales about the lottery’s ability to ruin lives.

Whittaker had $545,000 hidden in his car in 2003 when thieves stole it and drove off. A year later, he lost $200,000 in the same manner. Caesar’s Atlantic City also filed a lawsuit against him, alleging that Whittaker had returned checks totaling $1.5 million.

Whittaker was always delighted in being able to give handouts, which he did until the money ran out. He gave cash to churches, diner waitresses, relatives, strangers, and his neighborhood strip club. ABC News claims that his life became chaotic.

His wife left him, his home burned down, he got into trouble with the law, he lost a daughter to cancer, and he also lost a granddaughter to drug use. He reportedly lost his fortune in four years. Whitaker had a sad ending to his story because, at 72 years old, he passed away in 2020.

Want to know what these lottery winners should have done?

If you’re the type who learns from others mistakes, then you’ll want to read this article on how you can maximize the potential of your next unexpected payday or influx of wealth.